Starvation Forest
by Zinfer
Summary: The hunt comes to the boys when they decide to investigate the dissapearances taking place in a supposedly haunted forest; the threat proving to be much greater than either of them could have anticipated.  hurtDean, some hurtSam.
1. Chapter 1

A scraping sound reached Sam's awareness before his mind began to sort things out. At first he just accepted the noise, his mind letting the repetitive sound float to the back of his consciousness for a few more seconds before his eyes decided to slide open, revealing a blur of colors he didn't bother trying to focus on. Slowly he started to organize his thoughts.

_Seems to be bright outside, so not in a motel. Ok, why are we not in the motel?_

The blurry shapes and colors started to sharpen and what had been a large brown smudge to his left formed into clumps of broken soil and rocks. The hazy brown and blue patches sharpened into the tops of bare trees and a clear sky to his right. He was lying on his stomach in the dirt, his left cheek indented with uneven pebbles making him want to reposition his face where it lay squished to the ground.

Blinking rapidly, Sam's memory began to catch up with the rest of his senses.

Hunt.

Landslide.

Dean.

… Dean… Dean!

TBC...

And so begins another fanfiction. Please review if you like it or if you feel like motivating me. I'll try to update quickly since these chapters are short.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dean."

He had expected the urgency in his head to be reflected in his voice but instead it came out as a rough grunt.

The scraping noise paused and for a moment he felt his heart flutter in panic, wondering if he had just alerted a danger nearby of his presence.

Holding his breath he kept himself perfectly still, listening for what might be a threat.

A hand brushed his shoulder and his vision was suddenly blocked by a thermal shirt and a leather jacket, then the milky-green eyes of his brother, his eyebrows wrinkled with concern.

"Sammy? Heyheyhey, Sammy, don't move. It's ok, we're ok for now."

"Wha?" Why did Dean sound so… forcefully calm. Nothing worried Sam more than Dean trying to keep him calm.

Bringing his palms up to the sides of his chest he went to push himself up to a sitting position, feeling Dean hastily return his hand to his shoulder to keep him down but it was too late.

Suddenly it seemed like every nerve in his body came to life, hot pain exploding from his right leg.

"Gah! What the!"

"Just calm down Sam. It's ok." Now Dean was bringing out his in-control stern voice, which also scared Sam knowing that it really meant Dean didn't feel in control at all.

His eyes shot to the source of his suffering, wanting to be on top of the situation as soon as possible. Instead of seeing a gash or a serious break he had been prepared for, he was greeted with a pile of boulders and rubble where his leg was supposed to be.

His gut gave a nauseating twist.

"Dean…?" Despite his initial plan to be the sense of calm and reason between the two of them, his breaths became shortened as the panic started to rise inside of him. Dozens of worst-case-scenarios crossed his mind as he took in what had happened to him.

"Sam. SAM! It's not as bad as it looks. HEY! Look at me," Dean took Sam's face in his hands forcing him to look away from the rubble.

"It's not as bad as it looks Sam. I'm not saying it's gonna be pretty, but it's not crushed. You haven't lost it."

TBC…

Hope you guys are enjoying. Let me know what you think :)


	3. Chapter 3

"How can you say it's not as bad as it looks! It hurts like it's as bad as it looks!"

"Sam calm down, you've been out for almost two hours so I've had plenty of time to figure out what shape your leg is in. To be honest it freaked me out pretty bad too, but I've had a chance assess the damage and it looks like the rubble just broke it in one or two places."

As Dean spoke Sam found his eyes wondering over his brother, remembering that if he had been in the landslide, so had he. It was then that he noted his siblings bloody hands, scraped raw from something…

_The scraping noise..._

_Digging._

__"Dean-"

"There's no way to put this lightly" Dean said, rubbing his head "but you're kind of stuck at the moment."

Great, now Dean was using his "this-is-a-funny-problem" voice; the one he used when he didn't want to face the severity of a situation and instead made jokes.

_Apparently my ability to read him like a book turns every attempt to calm me down into a reason to panic._

"Where did the swarm go?" Sam asked, concerned that they would be sitting ducks if what had gotten them there in the first place was still around.

"I don't know. I put a salt circle around us but with the terrain being so uneven I don't know if it would stop them anyway. A part of me wishes they were here so I could know for sure."

Five Hours Earlier-

"I just wish we had more to go on" Sam said as he hoisted the strap of his duffel bag over his shoulder, walking slowly to the edge of the eerily colorless forest.

"Say it again Sam, maybe this time that great epiphany you're waiting for will smack you in the face."

Dean grabbed a duffel of his own and sauntered over to where his younger brother had stopped, crouching down to see what had caught his eye.

The stark difference between the edge of the forest and the surrounding landscape gave the woods an other-worldly appearance, as if they were looking through a portal. It was late spring and the world was covered in green, but all traces of color seemed to vanish at the property line of the forest they were about to enter.

That wasn't what had caused the hunters to stop however. What had caught their attention was the long line of sigils and markings that spread along the entire property line, stretching beyond their line of vision.

"You wanted something to go on?" Dean asked, smiling as he pulled out their father's journal.

TBC…


	4. Swarm

"I'm definitely getting a supernatural vibe now" Sam said, opening book of sigils his brother had tossed from his duffel.

"I think I'm getting that same vibe, and I'm glad we already have something to go on before we have to walk into this creepy place" Dean said, brushing one of the engraved markings with his hand and finding that rough particles of dirt could be scraped free but the indentions themselves were like concrete (not that he was in the mood to be undoing some mysterious curse anyway).

"Ok" he continued, straitening up "so we have about a dozen or so disappearances across these next few acres of land, the cops have scoured the forest each time but never came up with any results, and now we have these sigils. So… wha'd we got? Werewolf? Skinwalker?"

"More like spirit" Sam broke in as he found what he was looking for in the pages; "these are the same sigils used on curse boxes; they're meant to keep something in… and I'm guessing this something… is really big."

"Whoa! So this forest… it's like one giant curse box?"

"That's my best guess" Sam huffed, raising his eyes to the awaiting trees.

"… so what do we do? I'm not really liking this plan to just waltz in anymore" Dean replied as he followed his brother's gaze into the unwelcoming wooded depths before them, "it'd be like walking into a curse box."

"Yeah except that the police got in and out fine… maybe it targets specific victims."

"Well that's comforting."

"Do you want to go back to the motel and think about it?"

Dean scowled at him, hating to be the one backing down from a challenge. The truth was they had done all the research that could be done already and hadn't been able to come up with a reason for the disappearances. Oh between the two of them they had managed to make up a dozen or so scenarios, but they were all filled with rescuing devices and assumptions.

They'd hunted on less though and had finally resorted to giving the actual property a look. The idea of going into those woods might have been madness from any ignorant or curious soul having acknowledged the vast number of disappearances, but the two of them would be going in prepared for the worst, and they both had experience with the worst.

"Shut-up and start walking" Dean grunted as he took the first step into the grey forest. He had expected a chill to run up his spine or his breath to be taken by some mystical force but it was as if he had walked into any other wooded area and he didn't know if he should be relieved or disappointed.

Each brother was loaded with a different weapon, Dean with the sawed off shotgun and the demon knife holstered to his belt and Sam with a pistol with silver bullets and even a can of hairspray and a lighter in case they needed a blow-torch. The usual salt, gasoline and other assorted weaponry was split between them in the bags, along with a few snacks if they decided to make a day of it.

Sam smirked at his brother and followed him in, his fingers brushing against his pistol on his side to remind himself that he was armed and not completely helpless.

They walked until the flat trail led them past the point of quick escape and then some. Despite the lack of greenery, the leafless trees seemed to swallow the two lone hunters into a deeper darkness. They had started a light conversation at the beginning of their trek, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of something unnatural, but as they ventured towards the heart of the property they grew quiet, both feeling a chill in the air.

Sam returned his pistol and lighter to his bag and pulled out a matching shotgun like Dean's, his senses screaming at him that this wasn't something physical, but more-than-likely a spirit. A sense of unease crept over the boys as they continued on, the moaning of the trees seeming to be accompanied by the wails and calls of a different, more haunted source.

"I'm not liking this one bit Sam" Dean mumbled, his voice more of a whisper, like he knew they were in the presence of evil and he didn't want to be noticed.

"You feel it too? There's something seriously wrong about this place and I-" he cut off his sentence when his eyes caught something through the trees to his right. Something pale and glowing had definitely wisped across an opening in the trees several yards away and vanished as if it had never been.

"What the…?"

"You see something Sam?" Dean asked, tensing at his brother's heightened awareness.

"I thought so… but I can't say for sure what it was. It was glowing and was only a few feet off the ground, like an animal.

"An animal? What, now the animal kingdom has a fight to pick with someone? You'd think it'd be a pig thinking it had been mistreated, not some woodland creature."

"I'm not sure it was an animal Dean."

There was a pause and Dean's eyes suddenly shot out from his brother's eye-contact, focusing on what appeared to be nothing by the time Sam was able to turn his head.

"It's definitely and animal."

"Wait… wha? You just saw one too?"

"Yeah, just behind us. It's a wolf."

Sam quirked his eyebrows in confusion; what he had seen had been far too small to be a wolf… shape-shifter maybe? Why was it glowing though?"

"Ok, so I think we've found our monster… or at least it's found us. Plan of action?"

"Honestly, I think we should head back. I don't have a clue what to use against this… from the looks of it it's a spirit but… animals can't become spirits can they? It's not like they hold grudges."

"That'd be bad considering that 90% of them die violent deaths. Imagine all the angry cows hanging around slaughterhouses" Sam replied with a bit of humor in his voice, though even as he spoke his face hardened upon seeing yet another creature phantom through the woods, this time close enough for him to see that it was a doe, but it's eyes sent a chill down his spine. They were fixed on the two of them like prey; but this was a deer, what the heck would make it think of them as its next meal?

"It's not just a wolf Sam" Dean spoke tensely, stating what was now obvious.

"Yeah."

"Let's get moving."

Dean had grabbed Sam by the sleeve and pulled him back down the trail just as a strong gust of wind hit cut through the trail. Without speaking, they both took off in a run, Sam pulling out a bag of salt in case the situation got desperate. There was a chilling echo sounding through the previously silent woods, a rumble of panting animal noises, like it belonged to a choir of rabies infested dogs.

The glowing creatures could be seen all around them now, proving there had been more than one all along. As Sam glanced back and forth through the trees he managed to get a better look at their pursuers, seeing that the list of animal types was much broader than originally thought. He had spotted woodland creatures varying from a simple squirrel to monsters as large as a grizzly, noting that they all shared one common attribute: they all looked starved and raving mad.

Just as he was thinking this he felt something scrape his shoulder followed by a stabbing pain over his collar bone. Shouting in frustration his eyes shot over to see that a glowing raven had found its way to him and had begun digging at his flesh with its beak, like it was trying to eat him even as he ran.

"What the-!" he shouted, swiping at it only for his hand to go through open air. The beak bore down again, followed by the flapping of a new pair of wings and another attacker, this one a hawk, which went for his back.

"Aughh!" he was pissed now. Grabbing a handful of salt and praying that it worked, he tossed it over his shoulder, taking a moment to appreciate the irony of doing so since it was supposed to be good luck, as well as appreciating the other folklore of catching a bird by putting salt on its tail.

Immediately the birds vanished and he could have shouted in victory.

"Sam!" his brother had skidded to a halt in front of him upon hearing his yell.

"Dean! Salt works!"

"You ok?" Dean responded as he pulled out his iron rod, assuming the animals could officially be treated as spirits now.

"I'm fine but keep going, we need to get out of here. I don't think we'll be able to find these bones to salt and burn them, if that's even what's keeping them here."

Even as he spoke the roar of the surrounding spirits grew louder and they both took off again, hearing the sound of paws hitting the earth behind them in pursuit.

The swarm was ahead of them now, cutting off the trail with a sea of wolves, foxes, raccoons, deer, and birds. Dean took initiative; cutting to the left and taking off through the heavy brush, knowing Sam would follow him. The panting of crazed animals could be heard all around them now and a twinge of panic struck him, knowing that they would not be able to outrun the mass of them for long.

Right on cue, he was struck from the side by what looked to be a bobcat as it launched its fangs for his neck. He kept his balance and blocked the attack with his arm, grunting as the cat's teeth cut through his shirt and into his flesh, adrenaline numbing the pain almost entirely. The creature vanished before he bothered to take an effort to remove it as Sam swiped it off with his iron pole and shoved Dean forward.

"We gotta set up a salt circle Sam! We'll never outrun them!"

"Right!" Sam replied, wishing that the clearing ahead was some kind of sanctuary but finding no logical reason to believe so. It was still several yards away and the wave of spirits had already gotten ahead of them and was coming at them head on. Opening his bag of salt he stopped where Dean had skidded to a halt and rapidly began forming a circle in front of them while Dean started on the other from behind. It was right in the nick of time for the instant he had formed a half-circle of salt the swarm struck it's invisible wall with full force, madly scattering around it.

There was a shout behind him that could only have come from his brother and he jerked his head around to see Dean being tackled out of the developing circle by a slew of raccoons and two foxes. These were small enough to make it through the near-completed circle but numerous enough to take him down and, more importantly, outside of his protective barrier. The swarm was on him in seconds, every creature doing its best to get a bite out of him.

He fought viciously, swinging his own iron bar in every direction, not needing to be specific to any particular animal, the situation being that they were coming from all sides. Still, he couldn't keep them all off, dogs and even a few weasels were doing their best to make a meal of the struggling hunter's legs.

Sam was having his own problems with the other animals that had gotten into the nearly-finished circle, successfully keeping them at bay but unable to aid his brother. Desperately trying to think of a way out of their situation, he realized he wouldn't be able to re-form the circle before more spirits would make it in, and then he couldn't imagine how he'd be able to get Dean back inside anyway.

Forming a new plan that he couldn't imagine succeeding , he snagged a shotgun and fired rapidly into the swarm over his brother while still swiping off his own attackers. With that he leapt from the circle and charged forward, grabbing Dean's collar and making a mad dash for the clearing. His brother stumbled to his feet, covered in blood but still in one piece and able to run, he grabbed his own gun he had dropped earlier.

Both hunters firing madly in every direction ran desperately for the light, miraculously able to hold off the mass of spiritual creatures during their flight. They cleared the forest but were still being pursued by wave after wave of pale glowing animals, seeing that they had come to a steep slope of land ahead of them.

They both were gasping for air at this point, dreading the climb but having no choice but to move forward. Sam helped Dean along, both dragging breaths like their throats were sealed off; but both being spurred on by the horrific panting of the mob of crazed spirit animals. A few yards up they could see a ledge and, reading each-other's minds, headed in that direction, still batting at oncoming crows and hawks.

_Just a few more feet, just a few more feet._

Sam was nearing the point of vomiting, but forced his legs to keep moving as he wondered how his brother was managing to keep going after his combat with the swarm earlier. He figured a part of it involved him dragging the blond along by his jacket, the other probably adrenaline.

As if in response to his thought, Dean suddenly slipped out of his grip, shoving him forward with a bloody hand.

"Go" he gasped, stumbling to one knee "I'll be-" a pause to suck in a few heaves of air "-right behind you."

"Oh no you're not!" Sam shouted between his own panting as he re-established his grip on Dean's collar and practically dragged him up the slope. His body screamed at him, pleading with him to let it pause and recover from its abuse but he pressed on, grapping protruding roots and rocks to help him trudge on. Dean was doing the same, clearly trying to keep up with Sam so he would no longer have to face to humiliation of being pulled along like a rag doll, but Sam could hear gagging noises making their way up his throat as his stomach rebelled against its mistreatment. Sam would have loved to stop to give his brother a moment to breathe but that just wasn't an option.

He was already pouring the salt as they made it to the out-cropping, taking advantage of the brief moment the animals had taken to circle around. Their actions confused him as he formed a much smaller circle than before with his remaining salt. Those animals were all so different, never naturally hunting in packs, but their spirits were flowing in unison, like they were being controlled by someone or something.

Efficiently finishing the circle Sam allowed himself to fall on his butt and breathe, cringing at the sound of his brother vomiting beside him. His shoulder ached from the crow-bite and the talons of the hawk which reminded him that Dean needed to be checked on for serious injuries… after he finished puking up his breakfast.

Gazing out over the forest, he took a survey of the landscape from their elevated location, seeing the wave of glowing pale animals circle around, cutting through the woods as they charged. For a moment he let his faith in the salt-circle waver, his instincts telling him to get running again, but he stayed where he was; knowing they wouldn't be able to make it another two feet in their current state.

True to its purpose, the salt held strong barricading them from the massive horde, a loud crack ringing out as the mass of glowing bodies collided with an invisible wall, screeches and howls burning their ears as the enraged animals scattered. The swarm twisted in unison, circling around them, trying to find an opening to reach them but to no avail.

By this time Dean had regained his composer and scooted closer, for which Sam was grateful because he had never seen anything like this before and couldn't keep his heart from racing in fear. The presence of his brother helped him find some bravery as he grabbed the other hunter's sleeve.

The spiritual wave continued to circle, speeding up.

"Sam" Dean final spoke after he regained his breath "look."

He was pointing into the swarm and Sam let his eyes follow his brother's line of sight to spot, out of the glowing chaos around them, a figure walking forward.

"Ok what the heck?"

It didn't take them long to realize that the figure was also a spirit, but a human as well. The man was clad in a loin cloth and looked of native descent, but his appearance was more fearful than the animals around him. Despite his composure in his walk, there was a rabid lust in his eyes as he looked at them like they were a feast for his taking; yet his most distinguishable trait was that his stomach was sunken in, his ribs exposed so clearly he looked almost like a skeleton with a layer of skin covering him. Hidden beneath all of this though, Sam thought he also could detect an agony, or desperation in the man's soul.

The brothers' eyes were wide as he drew near, the native's own eyes falling to the circle of salt between him and his prey. Squatting down, he brought his hand out and tested the barrier, a curious look crossing his face before he stood up suddenly, turning from them and dashing away. The swarm followed after him, as if they were a force under his control.

"I have a bad feeling about this Sam" Dean said, twitching as he wrapped a particularly nasty claw mark on his forearm with a piece of his already ruined shirt.

"It's mutual then" Sam sighed, not knowing what to prepare for. They were safe as long as they stayed inside the salt circle right? Maybe the man planned on just waiting them out… but why would he leave?

"You've got a plan right?" Dean asked, finally looking over at him. He was still a bit out of breath but he seemed to be ok. Considering the circumstances they had come out in pretty good shape.

"It's your turn to come up with one" he mumbled, rubbing his head.

"You call this a plan?"

"You didn't say it had to be a good one, and the options were kind of limited in case you didn't notice."

"You try calling Bobby?"

"I will now, but I bet you twenty we don't have reception" Sam replied, pulling out his phone from his pocket.

"Sam…"

"Just as I thought, no friggin reception."

"Sammy…"

"I'm trying Dean" Sam grunted back, lifting the phone to the sky to see if he could get any bars.

"SAM!"

"What?"

His question was answered by the sound of foliage crashing below them and looked down just in time to see the forest flood with a stream of glowing mist that he could only assume belonged to the swarm. He gaped awestruck as the mass of spirits tore into thick trees, toppling them and sending them crashing into the underbrush. Breaking from the forest, the swarm crashed into the base of the slope they sat upon. The whole mountain shook, sending rocks toppling down around them as the mass of spirits continued to slam into the earth below them.

Both brothers turned to look at each other, realization dawning on each of them at the same time.

The spirits were trying to start a landslide.

Soil began to shift beneath their feet and they knew that the swarm was going to get what it wanted.

"Crap!" Dean yelled as the ground gave way, trying to gain some balance.

The force of the wave of spirits ripped the foundation out from the base of the hill with a final blast and before any attempt at escape could be tried the two hunters were sent plummeting out of the security of their salt circle and down to the awaiting sea of ravenous poltergeist animals. Foliage and boulders struck the earth around them as they lost any semblance of control, both knowing that there was no way to prevent their descent but not having time to wrap their heads around the severity of their situation.

Pain radiated across Sam's body with every strike he made with the ever-shifting ground. He tried to grab at anything solid but only managing to scrape the edges of his fingers and palms raw. Something solid made contact with his head and he fell into blessed darkness.

"_Just roll with it, roll with it_" Dean kept repeating to himself. This was just like getting caught on ice in the Impala. Sometimes trying to regain lost control can be the most dangerous option, so instead of trying to catch himself, he struggled to keep himself loose despite the constant stab of pain that struck him every time he hit the ground.

A projectile slammed into his left hip, bouncing off and hitting him again in the shoulder.

_"Son of a-"_

His breath was knocked out of him as his back struck something that didn't give to his weight, haulting his tumble instantly. He blacked out.

The first thought that returned to Dean's mind was that he hoped he hadn't been unconscious for too long. He needed to find Sam fast before the swarm got to him, though he wondered why they weren't already dead seeing that they practically fell into the mouths of the poltergeists.

Letting his eyes flutter open, he realized he was on his side, surrounded by rubble and broken tree-limbs. There were some tan rocks over his stomach and across his legs but they didn't look heavy enough to have done much damage.

Slowly he began to move his arms, moaning at the ache that radiated across his entire body from the simple movement. Still, there wasn't a pulsing burn of anything broken so he kept moving, shaking his head to clear his vision.

The second he shifted his hips he had to freeze, biting his lip and squeezing his eyes shut to bear with the pain. Ok, so that was something he'd have to keep in mind when they got out of this God-forsaken forest.

Not trying to move his lower body again, he focused his efforts into clearing off the debris around him and began looking around desperately for his brother.

From the looks of things he had fallen all the way back down the hill and hit something (he glanced up to see branches hanging over him)… a tree, and the ghosts were nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, that makes sense" he mumbled to himself, already missing Sam's company.

The ever-persistent dread for his brother pulled him back into action and he pushed himself up off the ground, more aware of the burn in his shoulder now as he remembered getting hit on the way down.

"Just perfect. Sam, you'd better be ok so you can help me get out of here."

Using the tree as his support, he made his way to a standing position and pushed off, not wanting to wait and think about what a pain it was going to be to look for his brother over uneven terrain with a busted hip.

"Feel like a friggin 80 year old…" he mumbled again, grabbing at a boulder to balance himself.

It took him twenty agonizing minutes before he spotted the brown hair of his little brother sticking out from a pile of dirt and rocks. Panic that had been churning its way through his gut jumped up to his heart and he stumbled forward, forgetting the potential danger of being heard as he yelled the other hunter's name.

Sam was laying prone in the dirt, his face tilted to the side and spattered with dark brown flecks of soil which Dean quickly swept away to reveal a lax face, completely oblivious to his brother's peril.

"Come on Sammy wake up, you gotta show me you're alright" the blonde pleaded as he checked for a pulse, relief drowning out the former panic instantly as he felt the strong beat of his brother's heart beneath his fingers.

"Ok, so alive and kicking. I'll take what I can get" he mumbled to himself, allowing his eyes to assess the extent of the damage his sibling had received.

It was only then that he saw the massive boulder resting right where his brother's lower body should be.

"No. No way" he stuttered to himself, acknowledging that there was an impressive amount of soil surrounding the rock and that there was a chance the boulder had missed its victim below.

For a moment he sat there, wallowing in his miserable situation, but a few seconds later he was in motion again, acknowledging that before he took any action to get Sam out of here he would need to re-form a salt barrier.

He let out a prayer as he felt in his pocket for his last reserve of salt he had shoved in while they had been on the run. The salt was there and he lifted up a small thank-you, grateful for the little mercy he had received.

The uneven ground made the forming of the salt ring difficult, but a few minutes later he had created the barrier and was back to Sam's side.

He was afraid to find out what lay beneath the rubble and dirt where his brother's lower body should be, but he couldn't put it off. He had to know how severe the situation was as soon as possible so he could start formulating a way for them to get out.

"First things first" he sighed, dragging himself to the mound over his brother. Without wasting any more time he began to dig away the moist soil covering the lower half of his younger sibling. As he neared the boulder he began to dread what was to come more and more, his exhaustion being overcome by the worry that had returned since leaving upon the initial relief of finding Sam alive.

Thirty minutes passed before he felt the chill in the air return and his breath became visible before his face.

"Ah crap" he growled, pausing from his agonizing labor with the debris and looking out into the dark and barren forest.

At first there was nothing but his own pants of breath to be heard in the eerie forest and he wondered for a brief instant if it had been a cold spell rather than anything supernatural. The thought didn't last long as a soft glow became visible from the depths of the woods.

It was the Indian again, this time without his swarm of beasts but still with that ravenous hunger in his eyes.

"Where's all your palls" Dean yelled out at the man, still frightened but attempting to put up a different front, wondering why he even bothered.

_Must be my pride._

The native didn't respond, but walked up to the circle again and looked Dean in the eyes, the desperation Sam had seen earlier becoming clear enough for his older brother to observe now.

For a moment there was silence again as Dean held his breath and the man just stood staring at him.

_Awkward…_

It was the Indian that spoke first, shocking Dean when the words he formed were English.

"Kill me" he pleaded, his eyes, though still ravenous, looking empty and exhausted.

"Wha-?"

Before Dean could respond the spirit was gone, leaving the baffled hunter alone with his unconscious brother again.

"I'd love to" he replied to no one "just give me a little hint on how to do that and I'll get right on it."

He received the silence he had been expecting and returned to his work, his hands beginning to bleed as he scraped away coarse rocks and began to dig around the boulder threatening his sanity.

Losing track of time he kept on digging, making progress on the base of the boulder until he could get a better look at the damage it had done. At this point he couldn't deny that his brother was indeed stuck under the dang thing.

"Why'd you gotta make everything difficult Sammy" he sighed, still getting no response from his unconscious brother.

Taking a small break from his digging, Dean rested his burning hands on his knees and bowed his head. He quivered from exhaustion, barely holding himself upright but not willing to lie down until Sam was out of this mess.

Suddenly he realized his eyes were shut and he jerked himself back to wakefulness, returning to his work immediately with the fear of falling asleep to keep him moving. He didn't know if it would be better or worse if Sam were to wake up in their current situation, but as another hour passed by Dean began to long for the younger hunter's company even more, needing a distraction to keep him conscious.

It wasn't until he had managed to get a clear view of Sam's leg wedged under a tip of the boulder that he heard his brother stir.

TBC…

Well, I tried to do the short chapter thing… doesn't seem to work. So here's a nice long one to explain the situation ^_^

Ccase13- Thank you so much for my first review even if my chapters were so short. I hope you enjoy where the story goes from here!

-chpt3- lol, I feel ya, I'm a "better safe than sorry" kinda gal. I think Sam and Dean should learn from me though. They're always getting into crap when the wonder into trouble without hesitation.

Lucydolly22- indeed, yay for stuck Sam ^_^ as you can see I followed your advice and made a nice long chapter thanks for the encouragement! Hope you enjoy the rest!

Aislinn Rose- Thank you so much for the review! Sam is indeed lucky Dean is there I hope I didn't take too long to update and that you enjoy the rest of the fic ^_^


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